Engaging with civil servants or councillors, MSPs and MPs can be an excellent route to realising the impacts of your research and practice. Whether, you submit written evidence, provide oral testimony, or act as an independent advisor there are many formal and informal ways of engaging. The direct or indirect influence of your parliamentary engagement, can affect real, positive change for regions and nations, changing the lives of millions of people.

The Scottish Parliament and Universities Knowledge Exchange Network

It is very clear that the clerks and the researchers of the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are seeking the expert and impartial advice from academics across Scotland. They are a partner in the Scottish Parliament and Universities Knowledge Exchange network, which host meetings twice a year. This is just one of the formal and informal methods that Holyrood has put in place to engage with academics.

The University has prepared a Scottish Parliament Engagement Briefing Sept18 based on advice from the Knowledge Exchange Network. This network has also created the Ask-academia mailing list, which is used by clerks and researchers to share information from Scottish universities.